Budget 2026 is going to be tabled on October 10 by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim who also doubles as the finance minister.

Most Malaysians are anticipating that proactive and positive socio-economic measures will be announced in Budget 2026.

Various groups of Malaysians are facing hardship due to the escalating general prices that burden the people with a higher cost of living.

Both the B40 and the M40 are affected to various degrees, and the government needs to unveil a package of measures to cope with the runaway prices of household essentials and the cost of eating out in restaurants, food courts and shops.

The government is expected to unfold positive and proactive steps to stimulate the local economy especially now that the international situation that has been exacerbated by the US tariffs and the increasing tensions in the Middle East and elsewhere.

One of the groups that are severely affected by the higher prices of almost everything in the country is the senior citizens.

The primary complaint from the seniors is the problems associated with affordable healthcare which affect the general populace, and more so the elderly.

The costs of treatment, surgery and medicines have skyrocketed in private hospitals and senior citizens are much worried about this.

Alternatively, the long delay in government hospitals make it less attractive for urgent treatments. Senior citizens are caught between higher costs in private hospitals and long delays in government hospitals.

The Prime Minister could announce in Budget 2026 that healthcare for senior citizens needs be fast tracked to make it more senior friendly.

With special financial allocations the government can also introduce a system of having a separate wing in some hospitals to cater specifically for old age such as heart related problems, ENT, cataract surgery, kidney treatment, arthritis, diabetes and many others.

This will ensure better utilization and allocation of doctors, specialists as well as medication and treatments.

More of the elderly can be treated under this system as compared to the present procedure of grouping senior citizens in the general category, which is the core of the problems for delays, some of which lead to numerous serious medical complications for the elderly.

Hoping for drastic reforms and changes in the nation’s general healthcare system is not going to materialize soon but, in the meantime the government can assist the vulnerable senior citizens by implementing separate wings in district hospitals and others to cater specifically for the elderly.

This will be a good initiative to start a system that will minimize the complaints from the increasing numbers of seniors against the healthcare service.

It is much anticipated that a separate wing to cater for the fast-growing population of senior citizens will be implemented in certain hospitals.

It is also hoped that this will be a reality as part of some expected changes and allocation that will be tabled for healthcare in Budget 2026.

(V. Thomas has been regularly contributing to Malaysian newspapers for the last 40 years.)